There will be a contested primary for the Republican nomination in the Kansas Senate District 5 race.
Steve Fitzgerald, a Republican who narrowly lost to current Kansas Sen. Kelly Kultala in the 2008 election, will be running for the seat once again.
Fitzgerald made the decision after a three-judge panel released their redistricting plans late last week.
“I have always been happy to run in the 5th District and look forward to campaigning again with my friends in Wyandotte," Fitzgerald said. "Leavenworth County should have had a home senate district. But, the court has spoken.”
Retired from the U.S. Army, Fitzgerald is a small business owner who believes he can help put Kansas - and the Fifth District - on a path towards economic growth.
"I am in favor of economic growth and small business and intend to highlight differences with my Democrat and recent-Democrat opponents," Fitzgerald said in a news release. "This election is about how to get our economy moving again, it is about jobs, more efficient, limited government, and especially about respecting the rights of the people to keep what they earn."
Fitzgerald was the treasurer of the Kansas Republican Party and was previously the Vice President of the Leavenworth School Board.
He's also served the party as a precinct captain and has been involved in multiple state-wide GOP campaigns.
He will challenge Mark Gilstrap for the Republican nomination.
